7 Top Tips For Expats Living In Singapore or Moving Soon

If you are looking for other expats living in Singapore or researching tips for moving to Singapore as an expat, you have come to the right place.

Moving to any new country, especially alone, can be a scary experience (and also one of the most enriching of your life). You are suddenly taken away from your home comforts, and you have to find a way to embrace your new life and new home. Singapore is a small but mighty city that boasts a huge financial district as well as plenty of opportunities for expats wanting to create new experiences.

It is a city that is rich in culture, so it is a great place to move to if you are someone wanting to explore something new. Singapore is quite a popular city for ex-pats, and there are almost 2 million ex-pats currently living in Singapore (making up nearly 30% of the population). You can surround yourself with many different cultures at once if you move to Singapore as an expat.

If you are planning to move to Singapore, that statistic should give you some encouragement. Knowing that so many people enjoy the city, means that you are likely to enjoy it too. Singapore truly has something for everyone, and it is also VERY SAFE! However, if you still have some concerns, then here are some extra tips for an expat living in Singapore. 

Tips to Find A Place To Live for Expats Living In Singapore

The thing you need to think about before you move to Singapore is finding a place to live. While a hotel may be suitable for a short holiday, if you will actually be living in a new city, you need to secure yourself an actual home. Finding a place you can make into a home will be a great way of settling into the new city as it means you will have somewhere to properly store all your belongings and make your own!

Additionally, once you have your own place, you can start to make friends and invite people over. Socializing is a great way to integrate into a new city, and it is a good opportunity to discover new parts of the city you may never have seen on your own.

Buying a Home in Singapore

To try and find a place to live, it would be a good idea to start looking at local estate agents and see what homes they have to offer. Some people elect to buy a home in an apartment building, a colonial house in the city, or a house in the suburbs – there are plenty of options.

Then, once you have found a few you like, you can use an HBD loan calculator to work out how much you can reasonably afford to spend on your new home. HBD stands for the Housing Development Board of Singapore, which manages the public sector of the Singapore housing market which most expats in Singapore choose to live in.

Renting a Room in Singapore 

If you aren’t looking to purchase right away, you should start by finding either a place or a room to rent out as you adjust to expat life in Singapore and which areas you like best. Most apartment rentals in Singapore come furnished in complexes that provide all the basic necessities of life, so you won’t have to buy everything new.

Try some Singapore Expat or houseshare groups on Facebook, or look on Roomies.Sg or RentinSingapore to see what is available.

Healthcare for Expats in Singapore

Healthcare is another important thing to consider as an expat living in Singapore. If you are moving from a country with a national healthcare system, you will need to be prepared to pay for healthcare once you move.

Singapore has an excellent healthcare system, and most of the time public and private healthcare will cost similar prices. Because of this, often people will opt for private healthcare, simply because it means shorter waiting times. The good thing is that there are LOTS of good doctors and hospitals here.

You may also find that many jobs in Singapore offer a healthcare policy within the contract, so that could be something to consider if you are going to be searching for a new job. Having access to quality healthcare is extremely important, so you must do your proper research beforehand to know what your new country offers.

Research and Understand The Culture in Singapore

This should go without saying, but before you move to another country and make that country your new home, you must research and understand the culture beforehand. Culture plays a huge role in the society of every country, and it is likely that the culture of your home country is quite different from that of Singapore.

If this is the case, then it would be respectful to do some proper research before you make a move, so you can start learning a bit more about Singapore’s traditions and cultural expectations. The good thing is that Singapore is a massive cultural melting pot with many different cultures in one, so it is likely you will learn about and understand many different cultures in one – especially Chinese, Malay, and Indian.

Singapore also has a quite competitive culture, or what some could consider even greedy or selfish. This is called Kiasuism. Many Singaporeans believe that this is necessary to get ahead in life, but don’t take it personally.

Spending some time understanding the culture before you move will be helpful as it will mean that once you start to explore the city, you will have a better understanding of the way things work and find it easier to make friends. There are many unique things to do in Singapore that are equally multi-cultural.

Cost Of Living in Singapore as an Expat

Another thing you need to be aware of when moving to Singapore is the cost of living. Singapore is, unfortunately, a very expensive country to live in, and it has been ranked second most expensive city in the world for expats living in Singapore.

Because of this, it is super important that you already have a job lined up before you move to Singapore or that you at least have a good chunk of savings to get you through. Although savings are great, they can quickly run out in a place like this, so you must make sure that you have some sort of income. But luckily Singapore is one of the world’s best business hubs so jobs are abundant, especially for an experienced professional.

Singapore is so expensive because the city boasts world-class amenities, rich culture, and great career opportunities. So, if you do not already have a job lined up, then hopefully it shouldn’t take long before you find yourself in a high-paying job. Even if you are pretty settled in your current role, it could be good to start job searching and see if there are any higher-salary opportunities out there for you.

Climate in Singapore

Get ready for a very balanced climate year-round in Singapore! The climate is one of the best parts for many expats living in Singapore because it remains warm year-round and usually also wet. Singapore is right near the equator, so the warmest months (July-August) only vary from the coldest months/monsoon season (Nov-Dec) by a few degrees. Generally the highs AND lows remain between 23 and 33 Celcuis.

Transportation in Singapore

Singapore has one of the MOST extensive public transportation systems available – the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit). New lines are constantly being added, so you can reach most corners of the island via the MRT very easily and it is also very affordable.

If you can’t get there by train, you can definitely get there by bus. There are hundreds of bus lines in Singapore and also well-maintained roads. Cabs are also quite affordable here in Singapore.

The only issue about transport in Singapre for expats is that having a car can get VERY expensive. If you can possibly avoid it, dom’t move to Singapore with a car as you will have to pay high import taxes to get it in and it is also costly to maintain in Singapore with insurance, tolls, fees, and even parking.

---

That’s about it for my top tips for expats living in Singapore! Make sure to join a Singapore expat club or society with other people from your country so you can expand your social circle when you arrive. Happy moving!